Our Team
Pete Mackey, Ph.D.
President & Executive Strategist
(CV)
Across more than 30 years in leadership roles at private and public institutions in the U.S. and Europe, Pete Mackey has developed his expertise in institutional planning, communications strategies, campaign communications, teambuilding, and perceptions research that leads to meaningful return on investment.
As the top communications executive at Amherst College, Bucknell University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Science Foundation Ireland, and the University of South Carolina, he built transformative communications operations and, through comprehensive communications strategies, defined and re-shaped how these institutions connect with their audiences.
Across his career as a vice president and as a consultant, Pete has shaped communications for $40 million to $2 billion fundraising campaigns, developed admissions marketing that helped boost applications by nearly 40% in one year, overseen the construction and redesign of websites and print marketing for numerous organizations, inaugurated speaker series and a literary arts festival, and rebranded everything from a small private company to national and international foundations.
In August 2016, Pete established Mackey Strategies to provide strategic communications and leadership services for educational and nonprofit institutions. As Mackey Strategies’ principal consultant, he works closely with clients to evaluate, define, and sharpen their ideas into an authentic and distinct voice for strategic impact. He has also served as the interim head of communications at seven institutions, including liberal arts colleges and research universities.
In 2018, Pete created The Future Sessions, a three-day leadership development bootcamp built specifically for higher education and nonprofit communications professionals to build mastery of strategic communications planning and implementation. Held biannually in summer and winter, the bootcamp has involved participants from research universities, liberal arts colleges, and educational nonprofits across the U.S.
He is the author of numerous essays, articles, and the books How to Change the Future: Lessons from Ireland on Revolutionizing Scientific Innovation and Economic Prosperity (Strategic News Service, 2023) co-authored with Dr. William C. Harris; and Chaos Theory and James Joyce’s Everyman (University Press of Florida, 1999). He is a frequent public speaker for various professional associations, and a senior investment partner in EdTech Connect, America’s leading source for educational technologies. He earned a Ph.D. in 20th-century British literature and literary theory from the University of South Carolina; and a M.A. in film studies and B.A. in English and legal studies in four years, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, from Case Western Reserve University.
Melanie Moran
Vice President & Senior Strategist
As vice president and senior strategist, Melanie Moran brings 25 years of experience leading and developing communications strategies and execution in higher education and the public sector. She partners with clients to build effective organizational practices, draw out their essential messages, and develop comprehensive strategies for effectively reaching all priority constituencies.
Melanie joined Mackey Strategies after serving as associate vice chancellor for university relations at Vanderbilt University, where her portfolio included the university’s leadership communications, editorial strategy and visual media, media relations, social media, donor and alumni communications, as well as leading the university’s signature events. Prior to Vanderbilt, Melanie served as speechwriter to the governor of Tennessee and led communications for the state’s environmental agency. She earned an M.P.A. in environmental policy from Indiana University Bloomington and B.A. in political science from Penn State University.
Kim Verstandig
Vice President for Fundraising & Senior Strategist
As vice president for fundraising & senior strategist, Kim Verstandig brings more than 30 years of experience leading all aspects of fundraising, from building teams to assessing infrastructure, to managing campaigns and securing principal gifts, and everything in between. She partners with our clients to build and strengthen fundraising operations and infrastructure, provide fundraising coaching and counsel to leaders and staff, develop effective fundraising teams, plan campaign goals and priorities, and more.
Kim joined Mackey Strategies after serving as vice president for advancement at Connecticut College, where she oversaw all aspects of multi-faceted fundraising and alumni and parent engagement efforts and directed a comprehensive campaign that encompassed five record-breaking fundraising years and six of the largest individual gifts the institution had ever received, ranging from $10 million to $30 million. She previously served as Interim Vice President for Advancement and Associate Vice President for Advancement & Campaign Director at Skidmore College and held key leadership fundraising positions at The Albany Academies, Albany Medical Center, and Bucknell University. She earned a M.S. in Education and B.S. in Business Administration from Bucknell University.
Rachel Rogol
Director of Operations & Strategy Management
A seasoned communications professional, Rachel Rogol brings more than a decade of experience in higher education communications and marketing strategy management to her work at Mackey Strategies.
As a marketing manager at Amherst College’s prestigious art museum, Rachel spearheaded an award-winning website redesign, implemented a social strategy that increased alumni donations and student engagement, and secured national media coverage for the museum and its exhibitions. As a marketing and communications director at the college, she implemented a multi-media campaign that raised the profile of the arts and museums on campus and developed a marketing strategy that turned the annual literary festival into a major regional event. She also partnered with the admissions office to create a strategy that integrated online content and electronic messaging, significantly boosted applications, and increased prospective student engagement with the college’s website and social platforms.
Rachel is deeply involved in all aspects of Mackey Strategies’ work with clients, including developing institutional strategies, researching client market positions, building digital outreach plans, writing print materials, and creating numerous other communications media. She earned a B.A. in English and creative writing from Emory University.
Marley Weston
Assistant Marketing & Media Manager
As a rising star on our team, Marley Weston brings extensive training in a variety of social media tools and great passion for applying them effectively. A recent graduate of Loyola University, Maryland, she earned a B.A. in communications with a concentration in digital media.
She works closely with our team to develop effective, strategically oriented media and marketing communications, assists with project management and client engagement, and supports the development of all aspects of Mackey Strategies’ work with clients.
Jeff Dillon
Senior Counsel, Technology Solutions
With more than two decades of experience in higher education technology leadership, Jeff is a technology trailblazer, renowned for bringing cutting-edge technology into academia. As founder of EdTech Connect, the premier US resource for technology in education, he has transformed how institutions discover and engage with the complex technology ecosystem.
Jeff's visionary leadership has garnered several awards, notably for leveraging mobile technology to advance higher education. His expertise spans a diverse range of subjects, including Artificial Intelligence, digital experience platforms, personalization strategies, search engines, and effective communication tools. Jeff continues to shape the future of education by bridging the gap between academia and technology.
Elise Partin
Senior Counsel, Executive Communications Coaching
As our senior counsel specializing in executive communications coaching, Elise Partin empowers leaders and their teams to successfully express ideas and gain influence through effective and persuasive communications. Drawing from extensive real-world experience, Elise works with Mackey Strategies clients in one-on-one executive coaching sessions, team trainings, and other engagements that provide guidance and tools for enhancing communication skills, strengthening management abilities, managing crises, and more.
A skilled communicator, public speaker, and professional coach, Elise is deeply trained in the art of teaching public and personal communication of all kinds. She currently serves as the mayor of Cayce, South Carolina, a position she has held since 2008, and teaches at the University of South Carolina’s School of Public Health.
Steve Gibson
Senior Counsel, Videography & Photography
As our senior counsel specializing in videography and photography, Steve Gibson brings Mackey Strategies clients a deeply knowledgeable, highly creative, and strategic approach to visual storytelling. He has worked in filmmaking for 30 years, including a decade in television journalism. He has created two highly successful full-length films and become a master of producing, directing, editing, scriptwriting, and audio and graphics design.
As part of the Mackey Strategies’ team, Steve creates exceptional videos and photos for an array of client needs, including brand positioning, fundraising, recruitment, and major announcements; and covers virtually every film medium, from social-media to profiles, long-form features to documentaries, and more.
Farah Ameen
Senior Counsel, Editing & Research
As our senior counsel specializing in copyediting and research, Farah Ameen brings a keen eye and extensive experience in the publishing field—from magazines and journals to books, dissertations, and advertising copy—to her work at Mackey Strategies.
She has served as copy chief for New York-based magazines such as Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Food Network, and freelanced at magazines ranging from The Hollywood Reporter, Complex, Rolling Stone, and New York to Glamour, InStyle, Martha Stewart Weddings, and O at Home. She has worked as a publications director at the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and as a communications and events manager in the journalism department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.